Acetylene-generator.



F. NORMAN. ACETYIENE GENERATOR.

, APPLICATION FILED IIIAIIISI. 1916. 1,274,753. Patented Aug. 6, 1918 I3 sIIE-ETs-SIIEET 2.

I I I II II l I Vl Ill IN VEN TUR A UUR/VE YS F. NORMAN. ACETYLENEGENERATOR'.

)APPLICATION man MAR.,31.1916. 1,274,753. PatentedAuf. 6,1918,

. a44 SHEETS-S5512.'

' A TTRNEYS FRANK Ironman, or ons MOINES, Iowa, AssIGNon'.rHInrY-snoonns rHIRTY-snoorms To ALPHoIvs'o B. LOVAN, rrvvo V DOUGLASJ. LAIvnEns, SEVEN D oniricaor EIGHT rHIn'rY-snoonns To 4To WILLIAM A.MCATEE, roUB, THIa'rY-snoorms To GEORGE W.

YOUNG', AND ONE THIRTY-SECOND T0 WILLIAM T.SHORES, ALL 0F SPRINGFIELD,

MISSOURI, AND TWO THRTY-SECONDS TO CLARENCE YORK, N'. Y.4

- noErYLnNn-GE'NERATOR.

Specication of'JI-.etters Patent. I Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

f appne'anonmea March a1, 191e. serial No. 374,960.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK NORMAN, a citizen of the United States,

and a resident of Des Moines, inthe county of Polk and `lli ' anacetylene gas generating system for automobiles and other vehiclescomprising in combination with the engine ofthe vehicle an acetylene`gas generator, mechanism Vdriven by the engine for forcing water intothe generator, apassage for4 conducting the gas to the engine, and acombined radiator and equalizer in and constituting a part of the'passage and arranged Vto `receive and cool the gas and to equalize thepressure thereof toward the engine, irrespective ofthe variations in thesupply of the gas or the pressure therefrom from the generatorresulting-incidentally'to the vibration of the vehicle, or`other causesincidental to the use` of the device.

. bined Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in whic Figure11is av diagrammatic view of the device applied to an automobile. Fig. 2is a'. longitudinal sectional view ofthe acetylene gas generator.

Fig. 3 is across sectional View on'the line Of 2. i i

'- 4 is an end elevation of the generator.

Flg. 5 is a perspective view of the comto effect the operation of thegas generator, sothat the ,pressure of the gas toward the engine will be*equalized under the varying conditions.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of av tank. The generatortank 10is preferably cylin- -drical in form and supports a water chamber forcondenser 11 separated from thel :the walls of the radiator and-equalizer mounted in and v constituting a part of the passage forconducting the gas tojtheengine and arranged link or bar which.limits-movement of the eXpansible end 0r head .of the generatinggenerating tank, by an expansiblepartition or end wall 12. Thispartition is secured betweenthe Hange 13 on the generating tank and theexpansible partition. The partition 12 yields or expands outwardly underan` in'- brease of pressure in the generating tank 10 and in order tolimit such movement I provide a'link 50, one end of which is connectedto brackets 52 attached to the end wall 51 ofthe condenser. The oppositeend of the link is supported between on the, expansible partition walland is connected to the brackets bya pin 54' passingA through thebrackets and through a slot 53 in the link. Thus the movement of thepartition in either V length of the slot in the link 50.

Supporting brackets are attached to the sides of the generating tank 1'0for supporting the Hangers 31 which are in connection'with a carbid panor basket 32, the Walls of which are oppositely inclined so that thecarbid therein will be directed to the ,V- shaped bottom of the basket.The lower portion of the basket isin the form of a screen 33, whereasthe upper-portions of basket are smooth in order to feed the carbid ontothe screen. As a result of this constructionthe vibration of the llgenerating tank incidentally tothe movementof the automobile or vehiclewill vshake or agitate the carbid 34 so that it will move 'upon the*screen' in position to' receive the water' applied as presentlydescribed. Below the carbid basket is an ash pan 36 for-- receivingtlieashes passing the ash pan 36 are removable through-thc end 37 of thegenerating tank. The end 37 H. NICHOLS, or NEW the flange 14 on thecondenser Il, the- -parts being held-in the position described by boltsl5 passingthrough the anges and be brackets direction is' limited by thethrough thescreen 33. The basket 32 and is normally closed bya'removable head or closure 38 which is connectedto the'tank at one sideby hinges 391and held in closed position by bolts 40 pivoted to thegenerator and engaging'in slots 41 formed in projecting ears 42 integralWith the head or,

closure. vIn order to form a hermetic joint A a gasket 43 is appliedbetween the head and the end of thev generating tank.

vIn the embodiment illustrated water is supplied to the generatingv tankfrom a 'water tank 25 supported' adjacent to the generating tank, pipe26 constitutes a passage fonconducti'ng the water from the Water. tankinto the generating tank, and said pipe dischargesinto a pipesupported'longitudinally in a horizontal 'position above the carbidtank'and provided with openings 35 through which the water is sprayedonto the carbid. 4The pipe 26 is equipped with a manipulative valve 28by which the flow of the water from the tank may be regu'- lated inorder-to prevent or vary theiiow of the water as circumstancesmayrequire.

In addition to the valve 282 thepipe 26 is provided With a valve24-w1thin tho generating tank. One end of ya link 22 is connected to thelever of the valve 24 and the opposite end of'the'link' 22 has aprojection 23 extending into a slot 21 inthe arm 20 of the bell cranklever. The bell crank lever of which the arm20is a part is supportedupon a pivot 18 on an arm 19 attachedto anddepending from the' wall ofthe enerating tank. The other arm 17 of the ell crank lever extendsdownwardly and is connected by a link 16 with the expansible partition12. -By these connections the valve 24will be operated to close the pipe26 in order to stop the flow of the Water when the pressure of the gas'Within 'the generating tank rises to such an extent that the expansiblepartition 12 is pressed outwardly to draw the lin'k`16 therewith'.

- In the normal position of the expansible partition, when the pressureof the gaswith- 1n the generating tank is below the desired maximum, thelink 16 is held in position to retain the valve 24 open, so that there4may gas passing through the pipes 46 and 45 `will e discharged into thewater and cleansedA and cooled thereby. Service pipe connec-l tionscommunicatewith the condenser above the level of the Water therein andconstitute passages for conducting the gas to the engine. These servicepipe connections include the section 47 opening into the condenser andthe pipe 48 leading'toward the 70 engine.

The pipe 48 opens into a radiator and equalizer 49 comprising a seriesof expansible chambers 63. The chambers 63 of the series are connectedat alternately'opposite 7a ends by pipes 64, so that the gas is requiredto pass through the entire length ofv each chamber before entering thenext adjacent one of the series.

The radiator is eXpansi-- ble as stated and receivesv a 'considerable 80quantity of the gas, so that the pressure of the gas toward the engineis equalized and maintained substantially uniform under varyingconditions and ilfider variations in the gas pres'sure from thegenerating tank. The )85 radiator is of relatively large area andtherefore gives considerable radiation so that the gas is cooled andreduced to the I proper temperature for delivery to the engine. Acontinuationofthe pipe .48 leads from the last one of the series ofchambers 63 to the;r nanifold of the engine. A pipe 65 leadsA from. theradiator 49 to` the engine radiator 66 and is .entrolled by a normallyclosedvalve 67 operable by means of a lever 95 68 so that when there-,isany accumulation of water in the radiatorv49, the valve 67 may be openedto permit the gas pressure to eject the water through the pipe 65 intothe engine radiator.. n

yIn the embodiment illustrated the water tank 25 is connected with theengine radiator 66 by a pipe 56, so that the usual pump 57 forlcirculating'the Water in the water 4of water through the pipe 56 intothe Water tank 25.

For Well understood purposes generating tank 10 is provided with a valvecontrolled discharge outlet 60 andthe Water chamber or condenser 11 isprovided with a -valve controlled drain outlet 61.'

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the Water isforced from the tank 25 into the generating tank 10 by means of the pumpdriven-by the engine andy that when lthe gas pressure in the 'generatingtank exceeds the desired maximum, the flow y of the water will beautomatically stopped by the valve 24 which is closed by outwardmovement of the expansible partition l2.

` The gas is taken from the generating-tankthrough the pipe 46-45 and`is. cooled and washed inthe Water in the Water chamber or condenser 11.'From the condenser 11 the water is taken through the ,service .pipe`v47-48 to the radiator and equalizerl 49 and' is discharged therefrointothe engine; The water of condensation. may be discharged lfrom theequalizer through the jacket of the engine will also force a supply i015ist Vhat elaini and desire to secure by Let.- ters Patent of the UnitedStates, is 1 1. The combination with an engine, of an acetylene gasgenerator, aV deviee eperatl'ed h v the engine for forcing water into helgenerator, means for supplying the engine 2. The combination with anengine, of an acetylene gas generator. a device operated h v the engine'for forcing ivater into the generator, ineans controlled by thepressure of the gas in the generator for preventii'ig the fiow of waterinto thev ,generator Wheir the gas pressure reaches a predeterminedlinut. and while said device continues in opof the gas in the.I

eration, a passage eonnectingtlie 'generator with the/(engine, and adevice in said passage for iiiodit'ying the pressure of theJ gs from thegenerator to equalize the pressure of the gas;to\vard the engine undervary'iilig pressures oi' the gas in the generator.

The combination with anengine and an engine radiator. of an acetylenegas generator, a device oierated bv the lengine for l v c foryeing waterfroni the, engine radiator into the generator, a passage tor conductingthe l n Y as from the generator tothe engine a iash h I sageforeonducing condensation of nioistui, fromsaid gas passage into theengine radiator, and a valve controlling said lastnanied passage.

' 'FRANK NORMAN. Witnesses JOHN H. FMRMAN, FRANK l. MoA'inic.

